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Due North Homes

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Due North Homes is owned by Paul Smith and is located in Osceola, WI. They build homes in the St. Croix Valley. Due North Homes has been in business for 4 years.

How did you get into the building industry?
I worked in engineering and manufacturing for 25 years with experience in project management and sub-contractor management. As I approached age 50, I wanted to try something different. So I decided to become a contractor since many of my skills from my previous career would transfer over.

How did you get started with Amwood and how long have you been with us?
I have been with Amwood since I started my business in 2019

Tell us a little about your business model. Do you build contractor homes, spec homes, model homes, remodeling, etc?
I build custom homes for customers. I prefer building custom homes since it suits me and I thrive on good communication and customer service. I have built one spec home so far.

What is the price range of the homes you build?
Prices of homes are going up and up right now.  I traditionally have stayed on the lower end at around $325K. I do not think that you can get a home for under $300K anymore. I would build them if I could. The biggest budget I have had so far is $750K and I would also love to do anything over $1 million. So, the short answer is $350K – $750K.

What type of style of home do you build?
Customer homes edging towards Modern and Modern farmhouses to Midwest traditional. Most are ranch but 2 of the 4 homes I am currently building right now are two-story.

What is the total of homes you have built?
My total is around 10 -13 since I have 4 homes in the middle of being built currently.

What type of marketing has brought you the most success?
I used to spend around $750 per month on billboards but I do not believe that those brought me any business. I now spend around $500 – $750 a month on Google ads. Tim, on my staff, coordinates the ads and we have seen a response from those. We can track these ads which is nice because we are a local business. So, we will continue to do those in the future. We also do spend $400-500 per month on Social Media Marketing (SMM). Though they are a subcontractor, Kristen and Delaney are important members of the team.  We don’t get a lot of direct responses from SMM, however, I do think it is important to do Social because people like to see the work we are doing.  It helps to validate client decisions to invest time and money in our business.

What does your office look like do you have any staff?
I started off my business with just myself and then I was able to add a part-time administrative assistant, Juanita, who has been a Godsend. I have also added another part-time employee named Tim, who is extremely accomplished in business, and he really augments our business capability while he takes our business in some new directions. I am hopeful that I will be able to add another administrative person and have that person be full-time. I also outsource a bookkeeper by the name of Charity, who is a big part of the team as well.

Other interesting facts, items, or hobbies you would like to share?
I do a lot of running and cycling. This summer I completed my first 100-mile bike ride from my place to my father’s home. I rode it with a client that I am actually currently building a home for. The ride took me 12 hours to do. We did make some stops for breakfast, lunch, and water. I swore when I finished, I wouldn’t do it again but now I am thinking that it was not so bad and will most likely do something like that again.

Thank you to Paul and Due North Homes for letting us know a little bit more about your business.